In the penitentiary – correctional facility Tuzla (KPZ Tuzla) a Prison SMART program for female prisoners was held in September 2012 with the direct support of the inspector of the Ministry of internal affairs. Due to the huge transformation in the prisoners, weekly follow-up programs for the prisoners have been agreed and another course is planned with juveniles at the same facility.
First Prison SMART course: 2002
Number of Prison SMART trainings: 2 (+1 Breathe SMART training)
Number of prisoners trained: 20
Prisons where Prison SMART was held: KPZ Tuzla
CONTACT: Snjezana Sarihodzic
“I woke up early morning and heard there is a yoga anti-stress teacher. I did not really believe there was something like that. I did not have faith, but I went in the end. I cannot say I know where I was heading to, I had second thoughts and doubts – I have been here for years already and no one was has helped me yet.
But as days went on I could not believe it, I would be thinking of you for the rest of the day. I remember yours and your assistant’s words – trust me, I can even quote them. I decided to persevere and stay in this till the end. I wish to change; my punishment is coming to an end. This has been the best gift I have received; the most beautiful one and it will be so till the end of my life. I will miss you a lot, your hearty smile, I feel I belong to you and hardly wait to be with you again. I could not believe all this negativity has left me. I still apply the knowledge you have transferred to me.
I thank you endlessly for this enormous change in me.”
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Hasan Hadzic, Director Tuzla Prison Camp (Engl)
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Hasan Hadzic, Tuzla Prison Camp (Bosnian)
Jasminka Berbić, inspector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (in a letter she composed and read to the prisoners the last day of the course):
“I wanted with all my heart that the Bosnian Art of Living enters the KPZ Tuzla, so that the ones who were ready could take this unforgettable journey. The first day of the course you were scared, sad-faced, lifeless, absent-minded, distrustful, closed in your own shells that supposedly protected you from the outside world.
They say when the student is ready the teacher “appears on his own”. As the days were going by you had more self-confidence, smiled more, you were more ready to work on yourselves and for yourselves.
The day we were taking our picture together you were all wearing make-up, dressed tidy and smelled nicely with big smiles on your faces. Just looking at you made me feel a sweetness I have not tasted for long time.
In my heart I knew you felt how much we cared about you and you accepted our extended hand. Do not live in the past, it is here only to be able to learn from. Live in the present moment because that is all we have. Do not judge yourselves for the things you have done in the past, you are not the same people anymore. Your soul has suffered enough and is now ready to exit the darkness and go into the light. Do not spend your energy on judging past actions – use them to turn mud into gold. Know that you will also be a good teacher to someone else, that you yourselves will extend the hand of salvation. Be grateful to the prison personnel for helping us, even when our requests and demands were seemingly impossible.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to assist this beautiful and unforgettable course. Trust me, I have learned a lot with you, you were my teachers…”